The Demon Slayer's return
by NibCakePhantasm
Summary: He's back for revenge. But does he only want vengeance? A story about Demon Slayer's redemption. R&R please? 8D But actually I'm ok if you just do the first one.
1. The massacre

The night shift sucked. It always did, it was dark and cold and the blizzards caused frostbite, another thing was that Crockies were cold blooded.

It has been a month since Von Leon revealed the legendary Lionheart Castle to the rest of the world, many an ambitious explorer ventured far into the treacherous cliffs of El Nath, into the castle. So far, every unfortunate Mapler who challenged the castle was slaughtered brutally in cold blood, by the cold blooded.

_Thud thud_

The Crockies were on alert, brandishing out their spears and getting into their battle stance.

_Thud thud_

A young man with dark purple hair down to his chest stormed into the castle, his skin was pallid white, his eyes bloodthirsty with bizarre markings all over his face.

He had wings, large, purple, batlike wings.

"Ah hilarious, its only one man! Let us take him down!" One of the Crockies shouted with glee. Tonight, they feast on another explorer. The other Crockies roared and got into their battle formation, so far, none had escaped from it.

One of the Crockies thrusted, "Who the hell do you think you are, a one man army?" His thrust was parried with ease and his head was slashed clean off by a scepter, a slash which glowed with dark, demonic energy it didn't see coming.

The man leapt up and lashed out three more times, the purple energy which surrounded his scepter was pretty damned scary, it cut like knife against butter, two more went down. "Too fast? It's about to get even faster." The man sneered, summoning the head of a maniacal laughing demon. It's breath took down three more Crockies who were too slow to retreat.

All the Crockies were more cautious now, they stood at range, wondering who was this mysterious son of a bitch who murdered three of their ranks.

"Hey lizards, if you understand speech, I'll give you one chance, put away your weapons."

The Crockies looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Put away your weapons, bow down before me...and kill yourselves." The man snickered, always fun to give them some hope before reminding them of their inevitable fate that was death.

"Screw you! You mocking us Crockies?! CHARGE!"

They charged, still thinking that they stood a chance. No, no one won against him, he was one of the commanders of the Black Mage, one of the best.

"Tonight, the Demons will mourn for your death," The atmosphere darkened as the embodiment of evil itself appeared and let out a bloodcurdling scream. Shouts of agony and death echoed against the castle walls. Blood gushed out of every Crocky and they all fell, only one remained standing.

The first squad of Lionheart Castle's' guard were massacred, in a singe night, by one person.

"If you still live, tell your pussycat of a king that the Demon Slayer has returned," The man put his scepter away and turned to leave. "This is only a warning, soon, the Black Wings will fall under my vengeance."


	2. Von Leon

The castle was in pandemonium. Bearwolves fumbled around shouting that the Demon was here to mete out judgement, the remaining Crockies not on patrol mourned for their dead comrades and Von Leon was rudely woken by his butler, a proficient mage of the Black Wings who still stammered when he spoke.

"What the hell is this shit? I wake up and this whole place is a bloody mess?" Von Leon shouted, rage evident in his red eyes. It made his mane of red hair look even scarier.

"My lord, they say it's the Demon, the Demon Slayer. He came an hour ago and murdered the first patrol." The butler tried to keep the fear out of his voice, he knew what Von Leon did to weak servants.

"Get me my equipment, Azoth can't be far off." Von Leon's tone of voice changed, it was the tone he used when they were in battle.

"Yes, my lord." The butler quickly scurried to fetch the Lionheart Battlesuit.

"I see that you really want to die, after my first warning you come back the very next day and wreck my castle? Tonight the Demon Slayer will be slayed by the Lion King..." Von Leon licked his lips, he always wanted another fight with the ex-Commander of the Black Mage.

_-Line-_

_Ahhh, I'm in deep shit now, barely got back my powers and I declared war on Von Leon's army._

Azoth was treading the way back to El Nath, he didn't believe in return scrolls and only used them when it was absolutely necessary. As he reached the edge of the cliff, he took flight. After all, why teleport when you can fly? Flying is awesome.

It had been one year exactly since Azoth had awoken from the wretched egg in the Verne Mines which sucked out all of his power and vitality and joined the Resistance. One year he spent looking for traces of the Black Mage or his Commanders. When Claudine told him that the Black Mage was still sealed, he even joked that he would join the Black Wings and unseal the Black Mage just so that he could get his revenge. The joke wasn't appreciated.

However, he was still regaining his strength, he only figured out to transform into a true demon and summon twin Demons which served him so well in the past recently. He was still learning the advanced techniques of the axe and mace, how to sidestep a lunge, parry a thrust and disarm a man simultaneously. If he challenged Von Leon now, there was no doubt he would get his ass kicked.

As Azoth walked out of the Dead Mines, he heard a familiar voice which never failed to chill his bones. It was the King of Blizzards, Lord of Lions, the man who was considered a God in El Nath centuries ago.

"Why hello there Azoth, had fun killing my incompetent men?"

"You said they were incompetent, so what do you think?" Azoth must not show fear now, he sent a message for help to the Resistance, no doubt they would send a competent guy to help him. He was valuable to the Resistance, the warrior commander. He used to be valuable to the Black Mage, the very first commander, it could be said that he was the Black Mage's right hand man.

Von Leon drew his sword, it was decorated with Rubies at the hilt, and the Zweihander blade was so sharp and shiny Azoth felt it could cut through the cliffs here and crush him to death. It made Azoth look at his own cheap equipment in shame.

"Come at me, a duel for old time's sake?" Von Leon smirked, he knew Azoth would lose, he was taunting him.

Nevertheless, Azoth charged. The only loss he had was against the Black Mage. He would never lose again.

_For my family_

Von Leon was looking forward to this, of all the times he did battle with Azoth, he had never won. But now, Azoth was slow.

"What the hell, even my bearwolves would have seen that coming." Von Leon muttered, smothering the distaste in his mouth that was disappointment. From the movement of Azoth's legs, to the discharge of energy which powered his leap forth, he could all read it.

"Just warming up, pussycat." Azoth said, hurling the scepter like a whip as he felt adrenaline course throughout his veins. Steel clashed against steel and Azoth attempted to bash Von Leon with his Demon Aegis. His shield bash was quickly halted with a flash of Von Leon's Zweihander. Azoth tried to feint a low bash, demonic energy threatening to engulf Von Leon's blade and sever his arm. Von Leon sidestepped and kicked Azoth in the shins before bringing his blade down in a bloodthirsty smile. Azoth barely dodged.

Von Leon was faster, his sword moved mechanically and struck precisely. Von Leon was stronger; each clash of steel left an unpleasant sensation in Azoth's hands. Von Leon was smarter, he read Azoth's feints, he saw the leg sweeps coming and he read Azoth like a book. A flurry of slashes and strikes followed, and Von Leon came out top every time. Azoth could barely parry all of his moves, much less dodge them. He couldn't even read what Von Leon would do next. A century really made a difference.

"I got my ass kicked by you for so damn long, Azoth, guess the tables are turning eh?" Von Leon sneered. "A pity, the strongest commander, reduced to a pile of sh*t because of love."

"Didn't you love your family too? Even got into a rage and slaughtered your servants in cold blood." Azoth was getting pissed, he was losing. He had never lost before, he had sworn not to lose, not until the Black Mage lied before him in a bloody puddle of death. Von Leon roared, furious at the mention of his dead wife, his precious children and lunged forward, Zweihander aimed at Azoth's neck.

"Ars Goetia-Carrion's Breath" Azoth invoked his demonic power, tapping into his rage and fury and drawing out the Demon Prince of Gluttony-Beelzebub. Von Leon leapt back immediately, knowing the consequences of getting caught in the Carrion Swarm; he would first lose control of his limbs, then his sanity.

"Ah, caught you." Azoth didn't try to hide his smirk. His scepter radiated darkness sand more demonic energy coursed out of it, forming what seemed to be the two fingers of a great demon lord and sucked everything towards him. "Soul Eater"

Von Leon was engulfed with pain, it felt like getting sucked into a black hole, he tried to resist and failed. Azoth laughed maniacally, his first step at revenge within his grasp. Von Leon flew towards Azoth's blade, if he didn't do anything, he would be impaled through the liver.

Von Leon roared, yelling out profanities as he inched closer and closer into death's embrace.

Von Leon stomped his feet and Azoth flew. Time seemed to stop; black magic engulfed him as he clenched his fists tight in agony. Glaciers fell and cliffs shook, Azoth crashed into a cliff. The ground itself trembled under Von Leon's fury. He was transforming into a monster, the monster which gave Von Leon his feared reputation as the Lion King. The monster he became after he sold his soul to the Black Mage.

"It's been around 500 years since I did this, my old lion bones…they are creaking. Not because they are worn out, but because I am excited. Let's finish this, Azoth." Von Leon's voice was a low growl now, it sent shudders down Azoth's back.

"You've never won against me, Von Leon, and you never will." Azoth said. However, his voice trembled and now he was doubting he could even last five minutes against Von Leon's true form.

* * *

A/N: I merged chapter 2 and 3 together because they were kinda short on their own. Please review, I am a new writer and this is my first fanfiction. Would certainly appreciate some help. :D


	3. Defeat

Von Leon certainly used his colossal size and enormous reach to his advantage. He swiped with claws as sharp as swords and as durable as steel armour. Occasionally, he roared, the sonic wave forcing Azoth to cover his ears and sending him reeling several meters back. His glistening red mane and brown thorny fur was splattered with Azoth's blood. There was no way Azoth could win, Von Leon was simply too strong.

Unless Azoth decided to use his wings. Azoth leapt up and rushed forward, his wings flapping furiously as he flew forward beyond the speed of an arrow. Demonic energy surrounded his wings as he summoned a brood of demonic ravens. They swarmed forth, the carrion of death enveloped Von Leon, covering him in gashes and bloody wounds and taking away his life force to replenish Azoth's.

"Balrog's balls, those birds bring back memories…" Von Leon smirked as if he was unfazed, his knife-edged teeth showing. "Lion King's Raging Blow." Red light surrounded Von Leon and his hands become swords, chopping and thrusting, slashing and stabbing in a mad dance. His enormous frame caused the glaciers of the cliffs to collapse and huge boulders crashed down. This was the fury of the Lion King.

Azoth coughed blood as Von Leon punched through his armour, gutting him in the stomach. His other hand lunged at Azoth's eye. "This is why I hate cheap armour…Dark Metamorphosis!"

Darkness engulfed Azoth and Von Leon was smart enough to pull out his hand. Two orblike demons circled around Azoth as the snow around him decayed and disintegrated. "It's been a long time, Ira and Superbia, you guys missed me?"

Before the two orbs of darkness could respond, Von Leon roared and lashed out, his two hands struck in a "X" formation with the strength of a dozen crusaders and the speed of a shadower. Azoth barely dodged the first and parried the other, and he felt all the wounds in his body protest as he summoned up the strength to match up Von Leon's. The two orbs struck but Von Leon didn't care. He was about to win and he did not mind sacrificing his arm to do so.

Pain coursed through Azoth's body. As much as he tried to convert his pain into his fury, he couldn't. His body was shivering due to the cold now that his life force was running out. His arm was trembling under the monstrous strength of Von Leon, as his demonic fury could help him no longer. Then, Azoth collapsed, face first into the red snow.

"What a sight! You've been reduced to such a pathetic loser? Azoth? Azoth the Lord of Demons? Azoth the Dark? Azoth, the betrayer?" Von Leon growled, it was the low growl of a lion after it seemed sure of victory. Von Leon reverted into his normal, human form and he drew his sword, bringing it to Azoth's throat. "You've led a sad life, loser. I'll let the werewolves and lycanthropes kill you, that's if you don't die of the blizzard first though." Laughing maniacally, Von Leon walked away.

"Wait…Kill me! I have nothing left to this life now. I challenged the Black Wings and I lost. Not only that, my vengeance was repaid by you sparing my life? I'm a loser, but I'm not that much of a loser. Kill me." Azoth summoned out the remaining reserves of his energy and yelled. His plea for death was greeted by a sad look from Von Leon. Did he pity Azoth on the account of when they worked together, or did he just feel sad looking at a loser? Azoth didn't know, he had already passed out.


	4. Flonne

Azoth woke up clean and warmly tucked in a bed of an inn, much to his bewilderment, as he certainly did not expect the cruel and merciless Von Leon to spare his life. It was night time and his armor was neatly laid out on a table but his scepter was nowhere to be seen. The room was poorly lit; the only source of light came from the window. Azoth fumbled around clumsily and grimaced in pain, his wounds had been tended to but it still hurt to move. Azoth wanted to get back at Von Leon, no one wins him, much less spare his life after showing how much he could kick his ass.

"Ooh, finally awake? Sorry about the wounds but I'm no good with healing magic." the voice of a woman resounded from across the room, Azoth certainly did not expect someone to be in the room and he reached for his nonexistent weapon.

"By the way, that weapon of yours broke. Did you smash it against a boulder and drop it off a cliff or something?" The owner of the voice stepped out from the darkness. "I'm the person they sent to help you, my name is Flonne."

Flonne was a beautiful woman with violet hair neatly tied up in a ponytail, her eyes were sapphire blue and she had rather pale complexion. Her chest was well defined and she wore a mage robe which complimented her curvaceous body full of lean muscles, she was slim but she wasn't weak. Flonne wielded a blade staff but she didn't use a shield, the sharp tip of the blade glistened in the moonlight.

"Dang…" Azoth muttered to himself as if not believing what he just saw. "A hot chick like you in the Resistance? Never seen you around." But then again, Azoth was always too busy training to care about his Resistance comrades; he thought them to be a burden.

"I know about you though, the battle maniac with the wings. Heard you are foreveralone too, never seen you with any friends except that weird talking cat." Flonne smiled cheekily, she took out a matchbox and tried to light up a matchstick.

"I have no need for friends if they are weaklings, and Mastema might be weird, but she's more than just a cat, y'know?" Azoth smiled, it's been a long time since he had talked to someone other than the job instructors

"Ahh yes, I heard from Brighton that you're not really human. Might have known that your pet isn't really a cat too." The matchstick still wouldn't light, and Flonne cast a flame on her fingertips and lit a candle.

Now that the room was illuminated, Azoth saw that this was the inn of El Nath. This small woman was able to find Azoth in the blizzard, and drag his body from the treacherous cliffs back to town? Azoth knew that she was certainly no weakling.

"Anyway Azoth, there's been some activity going on in the Edelstein mines. That old geezer Gelimer's trying out some dark magic. They say he's trying to hasten the Black Mage's awakening." Flonne continued. "We are preparing for war, and we need a warrior commander, so welcome back Azoth!" Flonne did a little cheer, as if Azoth had already agreed to go back to Edelstein.

"Since when did I say I was going back?" Azoth said, suddenly remembering that he still owed Von Leon an ass-kicking.

"Since I saved your life, you owe me one." Flonne smiled, she did have a bargaining chip just in case. "It was hell trying to drag your fat ass back, y'know? Too many lycans and yetis attracted by the scent of your blood."

"I guess it's settled then, haven't gone back in three months." Azoth sighed, he had to put his revenge on Von Leon aside. "It's been about time we declared war on the Black Wing's anyway. My demon blood's excited."

"Demon? What? You're a demon?!" Flonne gasped in surprise, the same reaction everyone had given Azoth when he told them his origins.

"Ohh yes, I drink the blood of little children. I rape and pillage, I set fire to buildings and kill for fun." Azoth used his most menacing voice as he continued. "I used to work for the Black Mage."

"I bet only the last part was true, but I don't care. As long as you are on our side now, it's all good and we're all bros right?" Flonne didn't mind that Azoth was the pawn of the vilest and evilest man in the Maple World, much to Azoth's pleasant surprise. Everyone was wary of him when they learnt of his past and even the battle commanders of the Resistance doubted him at first, except for J and Claudine. J and Claudine were pretty much his only friends in this new world. Not that he had much friends in the past.

"It's all good, except we can't be bros, you're a woman. You should make sandwiches." Azoth smiled, it has been a long time since he made a joke. His life up till now was a mad pursuit for revenge, no time for silly stuff like friendship.

Flonne laughed at his lame joke, they were warming up to each other. "Seems like you actually have a sense of humour eh? Let's be friends Azoth, say goodbye to that foreveralone life!" Flonne extended her hand as a gesture of friendship. Azoth was too glad to comply. Even though he operated by himself, he didn't like the feeling of loneliness.

"First, let's get you a new weapon, what's your specialty?" Flonne said, fumbling around her bag and taking out a bag of mesos.

"I like maces, but axes are fine too." Azoth never liked axes, slashing spills blood. Blood gets him excited and he preferred to be calm. Maces are better, maiming and bashing monsters to a bloody pulp was his favourite method of slaughter.

"I dunno about you guys, but staffs are the best. I'm a battlemage, one of the best battlemages around." Flonne grinned. "I don't like blood on my clothes, and I certainly don't drink the blood of children."

Azoth merely chuckled as the both of them proceeded to the free market.


	5. Edelstein

Azoth looked at his new weapon, a heavily scrolled and enhanced _Fearless Bardiche _with a satisfied smile. He admired the red glow as he swung it around. It would take some more time before he got used to it's weight and feel like it was an extension of his own arm but as of now, he liked his new axe.

"Are the Resistance that rich now? This baby must've cost a fortune. Either they have a huge budget or they are really having high expectations of me." Azoth said as he kept the weapon back into his inventory gleefully.

"Nope, the mesos came out from my own pocket. So you owe me two now." Flonne replied nonchalantly, counting the amount of mesos she had left. Azoth looked at the thick wads of notes in her purse and his jaw dropped.

"Mother of God... If I were you I wouldn't be walking around with that much money. Especially around here, I bet a quarter of the people around here are thieves." The truth was that Azoth never had that much money in his wallet. He was too paranoid to carry that much around anyway, he never trusted people much.

"I'll keep that in mind. Although I'm more of a robber than a sad loser who gets robbed." Flonne winked, a mischievous twinkle in her sapphire eyes. "If you're done then let's go?"

"Never knew mages can be thieves too..." Azoth mumbled as he followed Flonne to the portal out of the free market.

* * *

After that, Azoth and Flonne visited the Apothecary to purchase some potions and to seek professional care for Azoth's wounds. Half an hour later, they commenced their journey back to Edelstein and arrived at the base of Orbis Tower.

"20 Floors... Sucks to be you, Flonne." Azoth said, pointing to his purple wings. "Bet it would be much faster if we could just fly."

"Faster than this?" Flonne asked as she pried into her inventory and took out two scrolls. Azoth recognized them as the Orbis Rock Tower scrolls, used to instantly teleport the user to any floor of the tower.

"You're a pretty resourceful girl, filthy rich too." Azoth grinned, he took one of the scrolls and both of them stepped into the tower.

* * *

-Airship ride to Edelstein-

"So how's things back home?" Azoth asked. He was uninformed of the Resistance's current state of affairs ever since he abruptly left a note in the headquarters and disappeared about 3 months ago for some "life reflection".

Flonne explained that a month after Azoth left, the Resistance discovered that the Black Wing's have been more active. Taking advantage of the Demon General's absence, they have been exploring some riskier magic to unseal the Black Mage which involved kidnapping children and raised taxes which vexed the citizens of Edelstein even more. Edelstein was in a greater state of unrest and panic than ever, and they were preparing for war.

"We're growing as a faction. Indignant explorers join us everyday and security has been tightened to guard the children. Some of the children even want to take up arms and help us prepare for war." Flonne continued. "We might not be as efficient as the Knights of Cygnus or as strong as the forces on Victoria island, but we are training up new recruits for the war. Claudine said you were supposed to train the warrior hopefuls, but since you left, she appointed another guy for the job. That guy's a dick."

"I'm not really a pleasant fellow myself, so who's the dickhead you're talking about?" Azoth inquired, eager to know the person Claudine trusted enough to appoint to train the warrior recruits.

"Claudine will brief you on that later. Oh and he's a dick because he tried to hit on me."

Azoth raised an eyebrow, urging Flonne to continue.

What? I'm not pretty enough? I rejected his advances and he's been a total prick to me ever since. I don't thi-"Flonne was suddenly interrupted by the cabin crew.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've arrived at Edelstein."

* * *

-Resistance Headquarters, Claudine's office-

"Glad to have you back, Azoth." Claudine said, sipping at a mug of coffee. "I won't probe on where you've been for the past three months. We've been calling for you and you ignored us. You called for us and we sent Flonne to help you immediately. I'm sure you won't reject my offer, right? Or suddenly run away in the midst of it." Claudine had a skill with words, and she gave Azoth an offer he couldn't refuse. Of course he couldn't, he probably owed Flonne his life and the Resistance had given him a home to stay, a place to belong to.

"Alright, I'll be your warrior commander. Do I have to sign any documents to prove that I won't do that disappearing act again?" Azoth joked before continuing "So, who's the terrible commander Flonne's been talking about?"

"His name's Edward and he joined us the day after you left, he's a Hero class warrior. He's currently at the fields training the recruits. Go and have a nice chat with him, but I won't be surprised if he turns nasty. He's certainly capable but his attitude leaves much to be desired." Claudine sighed and paused to think. "Would it be better if Flonne tagged along in case things get rough?"

"Not really, that guy's a flirt, a dick, annoying and the recruits were complaining at him the other day." Flonne commented, Azoth merely shrugged, that Edward guy seemed to be a gigantic pain in the ass.

* * *

-Edelstein training fields-

"Faster! Swing higher! YOU! WHATS WITH THAT STANCE? YOU GUYS ARE PATHETIC MAN! THIS IS WHY THEY DON'T THINK MUCH OF THE RESISTANCE!"

Azoth and Flonne could hear shouting and cursing as they proceeded to the fields. A crowd had gathered, watching the hot-tempered instructor railing at the poor recruits.

As they approached, Edward stopped to look at them. The recruits stopped too, staring at them with curiousity.

"YOU RUNTS! WHO ASKED YOU TO STOP? CONTINUE!" The recruits immediately started their practice swings, some of them cursed under their breath.

"So, you're the demon warrior who's back to replace me? Welcome back." Edward said, his tone certainly did not welcome Azoth. Edward was a tall and muscular man with jet black and messy hair, damp with perspiration. His eyes greeted Azoth with menace as he extended a hand out for a handshake. "You don't seem that strong to me, cool accessories by the way." Edward gave Azoth a smug look as he glanced as his wings.

"I told you he was a dick!" Flonne whispered to Azoth.

"These are not accessories. I don't think you're much of a strong warrior if you don't know that demons have wings. Ohwait, I forgot there's a difference between physical strength and how educated one is. Still, you seem to lack both." Azoth said, contempt evident in his voice as he declined to even shake Edward's hand.

"If that guy's a dick, he's gonna know how much of a bigger dick I can be." Azoth said to Flonne, making it loud enough for Edward to hear.

"I bet yours is longer, too." Flonne joked. It took awhile for Edward to get it, but when he did, he roared with rage.

"You challenging me? I ain't gonna hand my seat over to some random guy just because Claudine said so, women can all go to hell." Edward seethed as he glanced at Flonne.

He drew his sword and shouted. "ALRIGHT YOU RECRUITS, THIS GUY SAYS HE'S GONNA BE YOUR NEW COMMANDER! Let me see whether you are worthy of commanding them..." Edward licked his lips in anticipation, he had the look of a bloodthirsty warrior right before battle.

Azoth drew his axe and smirked. "Be my guest, I'm gonna whoop your ass so bad you won't be able to shit sitting down for a week."

* * *

A/N: Review please? D:

This story will include some OCs along with canon characters. Mastema will be in the next chapter 8D


	6. War preparations

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, chapters will get longer from now on. I will try my best to follow the canon maple storyline.

* * *

Edward was no doubt a competent warrior. It took skill to pass the fourth job advancement, it took even more skill for Claudine to recognize his capability and appoint him as an instructor. But Azoth had seen much stronger swordsmen, skilled men who took swordplay to a whole new level and could take on entire armies by themselves. Aran was one of them, Von Leon was another. Azoth could barely hold his own against them, but he had slain too many competent warriors when he was at the Black Mage's beck and call.

Edward utilized his towering build and great reach to his advantage. Five purple orbs of power circled around him, empowering him and giving him more strength. He wielded the Reverse Executioner, a two handed sword which he swung with tremendous ease. However, Azoth could read him like a book. Although he was much stronger a century ago. he was winning. His battle experience with war veterans a hundred years ago did him good.

Edward's slashes were parried with ease. His overhead chops were seen, predicted and dodged one second earlier. His stabs were fast and more unpredictable, but Azoth was faster. Steel clashed against steel and Edward never got a clean hit. He gritted his teeth in frustration and anger. Azoth was playing with him, and everyone could see it.

A huge crowd was gathering now. There were the recruits, the battlemages, wild hunters and even mechanics who were usually fiddling with their robots were here to watch. The showdown between the new warrior instructor and the Demon Slayer wasn't a showdown they wanted to miss.

"Gotta give them a good show aye? I don't like to disappoint." Azoth smiled sadistically, taunting Edward while swinging his axe forth in an overhead arc slow enough so that Edward could stop it. So far, their match was pure speed and strength, no feints, no tricks, just who was faster and stronger. Azoth overwhelmed Edward in both, and Edward was getting desperate.

"You forced me, I didn't want to do this..." Edward yelled. He was about to try something out. "Enrage." Some people cheered, the battle was about to get much more intense and they knew it.

Edward's blows were much heavier now, and he was way faster than before. Azoth struggled as he fended off another blow. A ringing and aching sensation in his arm told him he was tiring. "Time to end this farce, being all showy and no tricks isn't really my style." Azoth muttered.

Edward overextended a lunge and Azoth quickly sidestepped. Edward arched forward, about to fall and Azoth took the chance to deliver a knee to Edward's groin. Edward keeled over, clutching his family jewels in agony. His expressions were contorted between pain and fury as he struggled to stand. Azoth merely shrugged as he raised both of his hands up to the crowd, declaring his victory.

The crowd roared with glee, they were eager to see some pain and they got it. Some winced and others laughed. The recruits wore expressions of glee, rejoicing that their asshole instructor just got his ass kicked. Flonne shook her head at Azoth, telling him that he had gone overboard. Edward was utterly humiliated and shamed.

"Everyone!" Azoth shouted. All the chatter and laughter stopped immediately. "You guys wanted a show, and you got it. No doubt everyone has been entertained, but I have something to address to..."  
Azoth stopped to look at the warrior recruits, and all of them immediately stood at attention.

"You might have heard that from now on, I will be the new warrior instructor. Your previous instructor disagreed and now he's a miserable mess. If there is any disagreements about my position, I want them to be voiced out now." Azoth said and glanced at Edward, who was now breathing heavily with rage.

"No, NO! This isn't fair, you didn't fight a fair fight! What's a duel if you suddenly play dirty tricks and kick someone in the nuts? What happened to chivalry?!" Edward suddenly yelled. His rage was not uncalled for, and a few individuals nodded their heads in agreement. Flonne shook her head again and sighed, things just got messier.

"And what do you propose? You defied Claudine's orders, you fought, and you lost. What's next? I don't see you being chivalrous when you hurl insults at your men." Flonne said. If she didn't step in now, there would be another ugly fight. The crowd cheered in agreement and some even boo-ed Edward.

"Whatever, screw both of you. Screw the Resistance! It seems that all of you are against me, so I'll do you guys a favour and leave." Edward said, his voice reeking of malice and stormed off in a fury.

The crowd soon dispersed, as there was no more drama to be had. Only Azoth, Flonne and the recruits remained in the field. Flonne nudged Azoth, reminding him what he had to do and Azoth quickly complied.

"Alright. Let's get down to business. Everyone line up, I'll spar with all of you one at a time." Azoth said while sheathing his axe. Flonne handed him a wooden sparring sword. All the recruits gulped, they had seen him fight and they sure as hell didn't want to be his opponent.

"Okay guys, let's all get in line!" Flonne said cheerily while motioning the recruits to line up. "Just for today, I'll be helping your numbskull instructor with your training. You guys better appreciate how much this pretty girl's gonna help you with today~"

* * *

-9pm, Claudine's office-

"What do you mean my room is gone?!" Azoth yelled for the hundredth time today, his voice was coarse from shouting the whole day. He was beat, totally spent from coaching incompetent warriors and to screw things up even further, he no longer had a place to stay. Previously, he lived in the headquarters with the instructors. It wasn't grand but he had a room and toilet to himself. Azoth's eyes widened, as if he had suddenly realized something even worse. "I had a cat, where did she go?"

"Oh, the talking cat? She wandered off the day after you left. Said something about being bored and cat food expiring." Claudine said while looking through some paperwork. "There's nothing to worry about. Nowadays I see her by the lake catching fish, or lurking around the marketplace. The pressing thing now is where you will sleep tonight. Sorry about renting your room to Edward, but you can't just go and want it back."

"Ahah. He's already been a dick to Edward, so why not?" Flonne chuckled at the thought of Edward having to sleep on the streets.

"Flonne, is it possible for Azoth to crash at your house for the night?" Claudine asked.

"Fine with me. Azoth! The rent is 5,000 mesos every night. Is that okay?" Flonne grinned. Azoth was too tired to care. He wondered how Flonne was still so hyper after a whole day of training the recruits, not that Flonne really helped. She was more of a distraction to the boys, in more than one way.

"Now that I have somewhere to sleep, can we go now? I'm tired and hungry." Azoth grumbled, he certainly did not want to report the progress of the warrior trainees, nor write a report about it.

"Yeah sure, but do a report on their progress. I want it by tomorrow." Claudine said and dismissed the both of them. She was still browsing through stacks of papers.

Azoth groaned and turned to leave. Sometimes, he wondered if she ever got sick of reading through all those piles of paperwork.

* * *

Flonne's apartment was spacious. It was located near the Resistance headquarters, in a five story building structured like an inn. Flonne's apartment had a big living room, the kitchen and two other rooms.

"So, where do I sleep?" Azoth asked, peering into one of the rooms. It was more of a storeroom, with cluttered equipment and mage robes.

"On the sofa, unless you'd want to share my bed with me?" Flonne teased while opening the door to her room. It wasn't what Azoth expected. It had an incredibly messy studytable, an half opened wardrobe and the bed was littered with clothes.

"Is this even a girl's room? I'll take the living room." Azoth shook his head in dismay. And here he thought warriors were the worse when it came to being neat and tidy.

* * *

Azoth was busy over the next few days. The Resistance was bustling with activity and the training fields were not only occupied by the warrior trainees, but also the battlemage and wild hunter trainees. The mechanics mostly tested out their mechas in the headquarters and their training rooms. Azoth learnt quite a number of things, including things about himself he never realized, and how Flonne was a terrible cook.

"Y'know Azoth, to be a good instructor you have to understand the bunch you are instructing..."  
Flonne's words of advice were certainly useful. Azoth tried to get along with his recruits and it turned out well. There were no rebels, no one tried to stir up trouble and everyone obeyed him, except Edward. Edward wasn't humbled by his defeat and he certainly wasn't happy about being stuck with the bunch he was railing at a few days ago. So far, he scowled at everyone who approached him and snatches the first opportunity to spar with Azoth so that he could get his revenge.

"See that tree over there? All of you, run there, climb the tree, and come back doing frogjumps, 50 times. I don't want to see any of you lagging behind, you hear me?" Azoth had just given out another absurd command. He enjoyed the look on their faces, especially Edward's when he gives out those "Are-you-kidding-me-I-can't-do-this" commands. He admitted that it was more to his own amusement than to their benefit.

"Sir, theres so many of us, but only one tree. How long do we have to do it?" One of the recruits voiced out. Azoth liked him. His name was James and he was always on task, never slacking, and he was sure as well determined to get stronger.

"Good point, okay then. All of you, run there, chop that tree down together and lug it back to me while doing frogjumps. You don't have to do it 50 times. Go." The recruits groaned and James gave an awkward smile. He just made their task way harder.

Azoth trained the recruits from dawn to dusk. Every night, he had to join the Resistance meeting held to discuss their preparations for war.

* * *

"My bunch's fine. Flonne can go ahead and help Azoth. I can train them alone since there's not many battlemage trainees." Brighton reported the progress of the battlemage faction. Flonne simply nodded her head as she stretched her aching muscles. She had been helping with the training of both the warrior recruits and battlemage trainees and it was taking a toll on her.

"Ok, we've received intel from one of our spies in the Verne Mines. He has located Dr. Gelimer's secret laboratory, where all the kidnapped children are held in. I'm planning a reconnaissance mission tomorrow night. Any volunteers?"

Belle raised her hands, but Black Jack, the panther, was too conspicuous to take part in a stealth operation. No one could read Checky's expression under the Teddybear costume but he did not volunteer. Flonne raised her hands and looked at Azoth, as if hinting him to do something.

"What? If I go then who'll train the recruits?" Azoth asked.

"It'll only take one night, you'll be back by morning." Claudine replied, with the trademark stack of papers beside her.

"So I'll miss out on the sleep too, huh?" Azoth grumbled.

"Well, sleep more tonight. Brighton will brief you on the details tomorrow. He's going with you." Claudine concluded the meeting and dismissed them.


	7. Lotus and Orchid

"No sweat boys. All of you come at me." Azoth taunted. They charged, but their movements were clumsy and they came at him individually. Azoth backhanded one and leg-sweeped the other and they fell back in a heap. The rest of the group retreated warily.

The recruits groaned, some of them still bleary eyed and barely awake. The time was barely 7am but they were already up in the fields. For the past four days, every morning was like this. Their whole body ached from the torture Azoth gave them. He was nicer than Edward, but his training was a hundred times harsher.

"If no one can score a blow on me, its twenty laps." Azoth eyed his recruits. Most of them had already given up on trying to land a hit on him. Heck, most of them were sweating vigorously and were too tired to move.

"Come on boys, I have something on tonight and I'm gonna be way more burned out tomorrow." Azoth sighed and shook his head. "Actually, forget it. Go out, hunt some streetlights. Try to work as a group, there's 25 of you and each of you will bring me 10 streetlight bulbs." Azoth waved his hand to dismiss them, his stomach was aching for breakfast.

* * *

"Brighton never made us do that. Is that an excuse for you to skive? You lazy arse!" Flonne chided while stuffing her cheeks full with cereal. Azoth was back at her house for breakfast and he never understood why people liked cereal so much. It tasted like shit, he preferred bacon but Flonne was a half assed cook who couldn't even fry an egg without screwing it up.

"I don't wanna hear it from someone who decided not to show up just so that she could sleep in." Azoth reluctantly shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and groaned. "I think I'll just make some sandwiches, so what's the plan tonight?"

"Dunno, but I'm gonna burp." Flonne said cheekily before covering her mouth. Azoth sighed and shook his head for the umpteenth time, and the day was barely beginning.

* * *

-Verne Mines, Dr. Gelimer's laboratory-

Orchid never served as the Black Mage's commander, she didn't like to cause harm and do evil. But then again, one doesn't need to like something to be good at it. She founded the Black Wings, not to revive the Black Mage, but for the sake of her twin brother.

Dr. Gelimer's laboratory was hidden in the deepest depths of the mines. It had an astonishing amount of test tubes all over the place and all of the test tubes were connected to a bigger one, or rather a stasis tank, in the center of the room. Orchid stood in front of it, her hands pressing against it as she looked longingly at the person inside it. "Lotus..." Her voice was usually cold and contemptuous, but this time it was soft and sweet.

"Master Orchid." Orchid's reminiscence was rudely interrupted by a hooded youth. The youth knelt down and bowed, rising only after Orchid nodded.

"So? Your presence only means that they are planning something." Orchid said, her tone of voice reverting back to the one she used when she was leading the Black Wings.

"The Demon Slayer spilled out that they are doing something tonight." The youth took off his hood, revealing burning red hair.

"I see. Good work James. Inform me of whatever they are trying to do, I'll leave it to your judgement." Orchid smirked, whatever plans they had, they aren't going to work now."Call for Dr. Gelimer, we can start now."

James nodded obediently and left the room. He was probably the only one aside from the Dr. Gelimer that was in on the secret. Orchid wasn't trying to unseal the Black Mage, she was trying to revive her twin brother. Lotus had been on the brink of death a century ago after a scuffle with the Phantom Thief, his body was healed and placed in a stasis tank but he had been in a coma until now. His body was in permanent sleep but his soul, sundered away from his physical form, roamedfree.

* * *

Dr. Gelimer only appeared in the late afternoon, his crooked smile and rough voice never failed to creep Orchid out. Orchid didn't like him, he always seemed to be plotting something and up to no good. She wouldn't be surprised if he kidnapped those innocent children for other purposes. They were unconscious inside the test tubes stored away for his other experiments, and it disgusted Orchid.

"Milady, I'll begin now." Dr. Gelimer's villainous irked her, but she was happy. She could see her brother again soon.

Dr. Gelimer pressed a button which triggered a spark of magic. Weird, Orchid never knew Dr. Gelimer dabbled in the arcane. The electricity powered the magical reaction and the atmosphere suddenly became much more humid. The electricity resonated with the magic and finally, the stasis tank exploded, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

A pale man with silver-white hair stepped out of the tank, his eyes reflected confusion and demanded answers. "Where am I? Or more importantly, what the hell is this?"

"Lotus!" Orchid ran forth and attempted to embrace him, but a backhand powered by mana sent her flying.

"Who are you?" Lotus asked, malevolence gleaming in his violet eyes. "I only remember serving the Black Mage."

"I am Orchid, your twin sister! How can you not recognize who I am?" Orchid yelled desperately, frantically searching for Lotus' recognition.

Dr. Gelimer snorted, "It seems he has lost his memories, he only remembers who he's loyal to."

"And you? Are you the one who got me out of that fish tank?" Lotus said.

"Ahh, yes. I too, serve the Black Mage. As you might recall before you were fatally injured by the Phantom, he was sealed. I am trying to unseal him." The lie came easily to Dr. Gelimer. He had been working for Orchid to revive Lotus. But he planned switched sides immediately after reviving him. Lotus was much more powerful than Orchid and serving him would in turn serve the Black Mage. The Black Mage would surely repay his loyalty favorably.

"Gelimer..You vile, cunning, nefarious shitbag. I swear I'll kill you!" Orchid roared, every fibre of her being trembled with fury. She founded the Black Wings, waged war on the Maple Alliance and caused havoc all over the Maple World all for Lotus, and Lotus was being taken away from her.

"You can kill her, she won't serve our cause." Dr. Gelimer said before breaking into a fit of maniacal laughter. He loved it. Brother and sister, bonds broken and blood shed due to his interference.

Lotus infused his hands with mana and with a blast of dark magic, sent Orchid flying again. Orchid coughed blood. She was in pain, not from the attacks, but from how her very own brother was about to end her life. She didn't resist, she couldn't. Who could lift a hand against their own kin? Her life no longer had any meaning. For the first time in years, a tear rolled down her cheek.

Lotus was disgusted, he hated weaklings. What he detested even more were weaklings who didn't even care if they died. With a bolt of blue energy, he warped Orchid to Edelstein and left her in an alley to die.

* * *

"Ok, so we go into the mines," Flonne and Brighton nodded.

"Then, we try to locate this laboratory with all the children inside and save them." Flone and Brighton nodded again. Azoth raised an eyebrow and continued. "So what if we can't find this laboratory? We're screwed?" Azoth was skeptical about this whole damn thing. He never believed in chance and this mission relied a lot on luck.

"It's probably hidden deep inside the mines y'know? Pass those ore eating turtles and you're there." Brighton said. They were at the entrance to the mines, the territory of the Black Wings and they were only reviewing their infiltration strategy now while hiding in a bush.

"Wait, we don't have those hats." Flonne said in sudden realization, after she had peered out and saw two watchmen wearing Black Wing hats.

"Mother of God, this is screwed up. We're screwed." Azoth facepalmed, he couldn't believe how unprepared they were, was Brighton always this relaxed too? "I'll go and knock them out."

"Wait, don't. I'll do it. I can teleport." Brighton disappeared and reappeared behind the two watchmen. His hand glowed purple and two chains wrapped around the watchmen, binding them tight. One of them, a huge bunny tried to yell a cry of alarm but was silenced instantly when Brighton knocked his head hard with the end of his staff. The other was taken care of just as easily.

"Screw the hats, there's only two of 'em." Brighton said while infusing his staff with mana. He smashed the door hard with the butt of his staff and it yielded. "Let's go in."

"Claudine said this was an reconnaissance mission. I don't see us being subtle." Azoth said.

"Then let's just be more stealthy when we get in~" Despite what she said, Flonne was humming a tune. They sure didn't think much of the Black Wings if they were this lax right at their doorstep.

"Whatever you say."

* * *

Mastema strolled leisurely along the backalleys of Edelstein. The night was young and she was hungry. She was chased by dogs the whole evening and she finally shook them off. She had been living off a kind woman who'd always put out food for her. Usually, it was a platter of fish or some catfood, she had been enjoying life. Even the brand of catfood was better than the brand Azoth used.

Speaking of Azoth, she kind of missed him. Although he was mean and spoke crudely, he was a good master and friend. She'd heard that he was back at Edelstein and currently training a bunch of hopeful warriors. It was funny, Azoth never had the patience to train anyone. Mastema knew because he had taught her how to fight, and she lost count of how many bruises she ended up with every time they sparred. She missed her demon form, she had long since adapted to living the life of a cat but she missed being able to walk on two legs.

Mastema heard a moan of pain as she walked past another alley. Her feline ears shot up, on alert and she heard sounds of whimpering. She moved cautiously towards the source and was shocked to find a woman with silvery-white hair lying in a bloody mess next to a garbage dump.

"It can't be...Lady Orchid?" Mastema asked, her paws extending as she tried to sweep the filth away from Orchid.

"Who.." Orchid could barely speak. It was times like this when Mastema wished she was not a cat. She ran as fast as she could to the Resistance headquarters to get help.

* * *

A/N: Lotus and Orchid, or rather Suu and Orca's story were taken from maple wiki. RnR please and sorry if the paragraph with Mastema reads awkwardly. I don't know how to describe cats _


	8. Brighton

The mines was oddly quiet, so silent that Azoth could hear his own breathing. The atmosphere was unsettling, he felt that something wasn't right. Nevertheless, they proceeded on. They passed the first square quickly, Flonne and Brighton were like flashes of light as they teleported around, searching the mines for any secret entrances. They quickly reached the third Security system Research center and found a hidden corridor. The corridor led to a bulky door, beyond it was probably the secret Laboratory Claudine spoke of.

Azoth swung his right shoulder, channeling all his strength into it and walking towards the door to open it by force. He was about to knock it down when Brighton stopped him.

"Wait, this seems too easy. Is this an ambush?" Brighton said, he looked around, checking for whatever traps and hidden enemies that could have hidden nearby.

"I think we were being followed, it felt like there was some stalker behind me." Flonne said uneasily. It was hard for them to check if they were being shadowed as it was dark and difficult to see, so it certainly was possible.

"About time you noticed. I'll have you know that I'm a spy and a traitor too." A familiar voice and silhouette crept out of the shadows. Azoth recognized the red haired youth immediately.

"I should've known. You fight like a thief anyway." Azoth snarled. No wonder it was so quiet, the Black Wings had been tipped off. They were informed of their arrival and they were merely lying in wait to ambush them.

James smiled and drew out an Abyss Killic. "No need to worry boss, it's only me and a few others. The weak ones are all away. Who in their right mind would dare fight a Demon and the two best battlemages in the Resistance?"

"So you're insane?" Azoth drew his Bardiche and heard the familiar mechanical whirring of the AF androids. There were dozens of them and they surrounded Azoth, Flonne and Brighton.

"I'm just a hired blade. I've done crazier things than this for money." James leapt forth, his dagger a blur of silver which aimed at Azoth's throat. Azoth barely raised his axe up in time to stop the thrust. Thieves were fast, but this one's speed was beyond that of a normal thief. James far exceeded Azoth's expectations.

Brighton muttered a chain of incantations and Azoth suddenly felt stronger, magic coursed through him and enveloped him like an aura. The aura glowed dark purple, then yellow, and turned blue. Flonne was sweeping through the hordes of AF androids like they were fodder, avoiding their attacks with ease. Dark magic channeled through her staff and it glowed purple. She swung and a flurry of slashes, whipping back and forth like a scythe which cut through all the androids surrounding them. Brighton joined her and the two of them were like the Grim Reapers, dispatching the androids swiftly.

"Dark pact...Vengeance. Grant me black hearted strength..." Azoth invoked his demonic blood and felt a surge of power course through him, granting him even more strength and endurance. He saw the gleam of bloodlust in James' eyes and knew that whatever former friendship they had before had been established on lies and were now broken. He would show no mercy.

"Let the bloodshed begin, Midnight Carnival!" James slashed furiously, his dagger a scintillant silver stream. It whipped left and feinted right. Azoth had no time to think, he was struggling to match the blinding speed of a Shadower. He parried and dodged desperately, trying to find a loophole in James' defence. Unlike most shadowers, he didn't use a shield, did that mean something?

"Alright, screw you. That's enough. Devour!" Azoth called upon the vice of gluttony, Beelzebub and a swarm of carrions rushed out of it's demonic breath. James leapt back immediately, a few of the demon swarm latched onto him and drew blood. Azoth immediately pulled James back with Soul Eater, which sucked him in like a black hole.

James drew another weapon and smirked. "Chains of hell!" The other weapon turned out to be a Katara, which he flung at Azoth even as he flew towards him. The chains surrounding the Katara wrapped around Azoth's hand, which stopped the channeling of Soul Eater and brought the Azoth flying back to him. James gave a triumphant smile as he sticked the other dagger out. Even if he couldn't start the chain of comboes, Azoth would be impaled.

Azoth was saved by another chain which binded his other arm, stopping his flight into death's possible embrace. Brighton teleported in front of James and a flurry of stabs and slashes sent him flying back into a stone wall. Flonne tugged and Azoth was sent hurtling into her arms.

"Ahaha, a man getting saved by a woman! Fancy that!" Flonne laughed. Azoth didn't reply. He looked behind and saw a mess of wires and broken machinery. Flonne was pretty badass when she needed to be.

"You said there were a few of you here, where are they?" Brighton teleported in front of James and tugged at his robes, lifting him up as he struggled to resist.

"Over here."The door to the laboratory was blasted open and a blast of arcane energy flew at Brighton. It was absorbed by the aura surrounding him. "You guys are strong, would you consider serving under me?"

Azoth recognized him as Lotus and the sight of him was infuriating. "LOTUS!" He roared. The grounds seemed to tremble under Azoth's fury while he charged forth, adrenaline coursing through him as he braced himself for battle again.

"Do I know you? I don't think so though. I don't screw around with weaklings!" Lotus yelled contemptuously. A blast of malicious black energy thundered out from his hands straight at Azoth. Azoth's eyes widened as he futilely attempted to change the course of his leap.

"Dark shock!" Flonne screamed. Two orbs formed and a shockwave of dark lightning clashed with Lotus's arcane blast and an explosion cancelled each other out. A magic circle appeared behind Lotus, numerous chains burst out of the circle and caught him. Brighton pulled back at the chains and infused mana into his staff. James dived in between Lotus and Brighton and cut through the chains with three quick slashes, setting Lotus free.

"Two against three ain't fair. How about this?"James said and he disappeared, the shadows engulfed him and seemed to divide him into two. He summoned a doppelganger and leapt up ten feet into the air. "Let's finish the fight, Azoth. Flying assaulter!" James dived down at Azoth with a crescent waved slash while the doppelganger clashed with Flonne.

"Goddamn it! Let's run!" Brighton shouted desperately while fending off Lotus. Azoth grimaced and nodded his head. This was no place to fight, it was too dark and they were right in the enemy's territory. Who knows if there were more of them lying around?

"You're pretty smart, not like the brute with wings over there. I presume he's a demon?" Lotus said. He had no weapon but his hands seemed to be enough. Brighton gritted his teeth as he struggled to deflect each of the missiles with his own magic. If Lotus was this powerful without a proper conduit to channel his mana through, who knew what he could do with a weapon? They had to retreat.

"_If you can cover me for five minutes, I can teleport us out._" Flonne whispered telepathically to Azoth . Azoth complied. He sent a surge of demonic fury to his wings, "Dark Thrust!" Azoth seemed to disappear as he ran towards the doppelganger and ran his axe through him. The doppelganger turned into mist and disappeared.

"Chaos lock." Azoth teleported and reappeared behind James. Demonic power surged through his axe which he swung across James' arm, seperating it from his torso. James yelled out in agony, his eyes widening in horror as he watched blood spurt out of where his right arm should have been. He jumped back and disappeared, melding into the shadows.

* * *

Claudine looked at the unconscious girl on the bed Mastema brought back. She was obviously one of the higher ranked members of the Black Wings and from what Mastema told her, she was also a high ranking general in the Black Mage's army many years in the past. Claudine sat in her chair, she was deep in thought. Should she really be letting the girl stay? She even called for a cleric to heal her wounds.

"Hey there...We're in pretty deep shit here. They knew." Brighton's voice suddenly rang in her head. The words struck her like an arrow. They knew all along? Brighton was in trouble. Claudine got up immediately and called for the other instructors. She would interrogate the Orchid girl later.

* * *

"Chain Lightning." A flash of dark electricity bolted towards Brighton. Brighton was panting with the exertion of having to keep up with his skilled adversary. Lotus had shown mastery over skills of the ice lightning and fire poison mage, but he infused the element of darkness in every spell he used. Brighton had experience handling with dark magic, since it was what Battlemages used, but this one was much stronger and even more corrupting. It threatened to engulf Brighton whole.

Brighton absorbed the lightning with his staff and grimaced with pain as the shock jolted his arm. He looked over to Azoth and Flonne. Even in the darkness, he could see that Azoth was bruised and bleeding from a dozen lacerations. Flonne's condition wasn't any better, and she was already tired from dealing with all the androids and the doppelganger. It certainly didn't help that the Blademaster was hiding somewhere. Flonne didn't have much experience dealing with thieves and Azoth could barely keep up with them. If only Lotus wasn't here. Brighton was running out of mana, and that guy pressured him to the point that he couldn't even pop an elixer. They would really die if help didn't come soon.

_"Flonne, how long more?" _Azoth and Flonne stood back to back, the Blademaster was gone but he could stab them in the back anytime. Lotus and Brighton were fighting meters away and from Brighton's laboured expression, they could tell he was losing. They were running out of time and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that their only hope of escaping was Flonne.

_"Done, now!"_ Flonne emptied her mana reserves and with a swing of her staff, forcibly made a portal which led right outside the Verne mines.

"Brighton!" Flonne yelled, she rushed towards Brighton, mustering up all her strength to summon her chains to restrain Lotus.

"No, don't let them!" Lotus shouted in rage. He was having fun now, the most thrill he had experienced in a hundred years. Three competent fighters were in front of him and what he desired the most right now was to _kill. _He hadn't murdered in a century and right now the urge to see blood was overwhelming.

"Assassinate." James' voice was a mere raspy whisper behind Flonne. Azoth knocked into James, disarming him right before he could execute the four swift slashes that would end Flonne. Azoth straddled James with his axe-arm raised high. Just when he was about to deliver swift death to James, Lotus sent a magic missile flying right at his torso. Pain sent Azoth keeling over and he tasted warm, metallic blood.

"Screw this, both of you go without me!" Brighton shouted. He was still engaged in a losing battle with Lotus and there was no way Lotus would give him the fraction of a second to teleport away and escape.

"No, we can't! We won't!" Flonne cried out desperately, tears welled up in her eyes. Azoth struggled to get up, he gritted his teeth in anger. He had sworn to never lose again when he lost to Von Leon but here he was, defeated yet again. The pain fueled his fury but it was futile, he was too weak to attempt anything.

"Goddamn it! What is a pupil who doesn't listen to her master?" Brighton was desperate now. Screw this, screw everything. He disappeared and reappeared in front of Flonne and Azoth, much to everyone's surprise. The portal was still active, just a little more...

"You'd sacrifice yourself? Really? Moonlight spear!" A spear impaled Brighton, the darkness burned every fibre of his being. But he didn't care. Summoning every ounce of strength and every bit of mana that he had, he sent Flonne and Azoth hurtling into the portal.

* * *

**A/N: So I made Lotus a mage. Sorry for a chapter full of battle scenes but yeah. Tried my best to make it as vivid as possible :D Comments and criticism are welcome, so please review D:**


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